Social Enterprises

Social Enterprises come in all shapes and sizes, doing all manner of things but with one common theme running through each and every business venture – they make their money by selling goods or services on the open market and then re-invest the profits back into the business or the community they work within improving communities, people’s life chances or the environment. When a social enterprise profits, so does the wider community that they work within, it really is a win/win!

Our social enterprises

We run two social enterprises businesses: The Freedom Centre Shop and Freedom Salvage. Both of these social businesses provide opportunities for our clients to build valuable work skills and experience. Each of them also provides much-needed revenue for our charitable work.

Freedom Centre Shop

This is the longest running of our social enterprises, established in 2006. We make the most of all of the donations to Freedom with this store and the focus is on selling clothes, shoes and fashion items that can’t be used by our free clothing store at the Day Centre. The store is run by one member of staff and a team of volunteers who gain experience in e-commerce, photography for eBay sales, and posting items to the store.

Freedom Salvage

Freedom Salvage is our most recent venture and began in late 2015. The work done here focusses on breathing new life into old, discarded items. From upcycling items, fixing and cleaning bicycles for resale and stripping garden machinery for spares or fixing to extend their life, clients and volunteers working with Freedom Salvage learn how to carry out the tasks needed to make the items we collect saleable as well as other work-related skills such as working with a team, timekeeping and communicating with stakeholders in the business.

Make a purchase that helps the community

By purchasing any of the items for sale in our website shop your money will not go towards supplying that particular item for someone in a vulnerable situation who needs it, but it will also go towards building a stronger and more cohesive community in North Devon by helping vulnerable people along their path to a brighter future.

Latest

Each year, our Day Centre Helps around 1,000 people with all sorts of problems, from mental health issues to finding work, homelessness to budgeting. Watch some clips of the stories we've seen this year and keep this access free for those who need it

Each year, our Day Centre Helps around 1,000 people with all sorts of problems, from mental health issues to finding work, homelessness to budgeting. Watch some of the stories we've seen this year and keep this free for those who need it.

We are not prepared to see vulnerable people homeless on the streets and we believe that everyone has a right to a stable, secure and decent home. We are looking for supporters who believe the same and who will help us to raise the money we need to furnish and equip this house to a good standard. Will you help?

Each year, our Day Centre Helps around 1,000 people with all sorts of problems, from mental health issues to finding work, homelessness to budgeting. Watch some clips of the stories we've seen this year and keep this access free for those who need it

There are lots of misconceptions about how and why people find themselves in difficult situations such as being homeless, battling addiction, without work or unable to put food on the table. Here you'll find the facts.